Age of the City: Why Our Future Will Be Won or Lost Together

Goldin (Rescue), an Oxford professor of globalization and development, and Economist correspondent Lee-Devlin extol in this poorly argued polemic the potential for urban development to solve many of society’s ills. Cities are “now home to over half the global population... something never before seen in human history,” the authors write, and they use this fact as a launchpad to argue that the urban development policies of today will seal the fate of future societies. They go on to outline how urban dynamism, which relies so much on the physical closeness of people, has suffered greatly due to the pandemic and the migration of daily activity into the digital realm, and thus cities must adapt or lose relevance. To address such challenges, Goldin and Lee-Devlin call for more investment in cities—better public transit and increased housing density, as well as more desirable accommodations for the “high-skill” employees of the tech industry. Unfortunately, their policy recommendations are often overly broad. For example, they call for “multiple layers of government... acting in concert with one another” and the “political courage... to find sensible solutions.” This rallying cry comes up short. (Sept.)